


Wondering Winding Words

by ChocolateOrangeMonkeyRainbow



Series: Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Banter, Demisexual Lavellan, F/M, Pre-Relationship, and sera is bored and wants to go home, cassandra is facinated, chaste solas, i cant believe writing this brought me such joy, ish, revas talks about herself and her clan, solas is a huge fanboy who has it baaaaaadddd, this was going to be more about solas and lavellans interactions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 16:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2856806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateOrangeMonkeyRainbow/pseuds/ChocolateOrangeMonkeyRainbow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re… Dalish, right?”</p><p>“Damn, and here I thought I was being so secretive, what gave me away?”</p><p> </p><p>Revas' companions try to get to know the Inquisitor better on a long trip through the hinterlands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wondering Winding Words

**Author's Note:**

> not beta-ed so there will be mistakes. I have an awful habit of changing tenses so if you see anything funky let me know.

“You’re… Dalish, right?” Sera says one afternoon as they trek through the hinterlands.

“ _Damn_.” Revas says, faux forlorn passing on her face “and here I thought I was being so secretive, what gave me away?”

Nonpulussed, Sera ploughs on “You’re alright though, not like other _elfy_ elves”

“well not all of us can eat human children and burn down villages I suppose.” Revas muses.

Sera rolls her eyes and lets out a snort of laughter. “Yeah, yeah, be a shit then.”

Revas shrugs, a smirk tugging her face “I live to serve miss red jenny.”

 

 

 

“So what are those squiggles on your face about?” Sera speaks up again as they loot the bodies of some bandits dim enough to attack four people armed to the teeth.

“The vallalassy-whatever.”

Revas snorts “I think you mean _vallaslin_ , my friend.” She says, pocketing a meager bag of gold.

“Same difference, question still stands”

Revas turned to look at Sera and under the bullheadedness of Seras question, she sees her fidget as if she’s afraid of Revas getting angry.

She’d have to try a lot harder to piss Revas off, honestly.

“Do you mean what they are or what they’re supposed to mean?” Revas finally asks.

Sera shrugs “Both, yeah? I dunno.” She picks at a loose thread on her clothes, widening one of the holes in the ratty fabric.

“they signal a persons’ coming of age generally.” Revas starts as they continue on, Sera actually falls into step beside her while Solas and Cassandra trail behind.

“And their supposed to honour elven gods.” Revas finishes.

“Supposed to..?” Sera says “As in they don’t.”

“well, not really. Depends on who you talk to…” Revas says thoughtfully. She feels Solas look at her but he says nothing.

“Then what are they?” Sera asks, confused

Revas laughs “For someone who has no interest in elves you ask a lot of questions, Sera.”

Sera shoots her a glare “just answer the bloody question!” she snaps and Revas holds her hands up in peace.

“Okay,” She says, shaking her head “There are different types of vallaslin, each different type signalizes a different skill.” She pauses “for some, they show what type of adulthood profession you have. So to speak.”

Sera remained silent and they carried on.

 

 

“I’m curious, Lavellan.” Cassandra says much later while they are setting up camp, the sun long set and they’re cast in the warm orange light of their campfire. “You mentioned to Sera earlier that there are different types of markings in your culture… I was wondering what your ones meant.”

After a beat she adds “If it is too intrusive I apologise.” Her voice was soft, respectful, careful. Revas loves her for it.

She shakes her head “It isn’t a secret, lady seeker, you have caused no harm.”

Cassandra relaxes visibly.

“My markings are of Ghilan’nain, Halla mother and goddess of navigation.” Revas explains suddenly aware that while Sera is by herself on the far side of the camp fighting a losing battle against her tent, Solas is sitting by the fire and while he isn’t watching them she knew he’s listening carefully.

It made her feel weirdly vulnerable.

“They’re not markings usually used by someone who is first to the keeper of their clan.” Revas adds lightly “Creators only know how my keeper and I argued about me using them.” She laughs

“What are the markings that a first would usually have?” Cassandra asks, looking genuinely interested.

Revas lets out a breath “usually? Mythal, goddess of motherhood and justice and all-mother, or Elgar’nan, god of vengeance and all-father.” She shrugs “Although the fact of the matter is that a keeper could have any vallaslin. Any of us could, really. It’s not so… fixed.”

“I picked the vallaslin of Ghilan’nain because I felt that her story resonated in me strongest.” Revas says before adding “not to mention, I thought the design was pretty.” With a smirk.

Cassandra laughs.

 

 

“What is this Ghilan’nain’s story, of you don’t mind me asking.” Cassandra asks the next morning over breakfast as they sit around the fire.

“well, from what we can gather: Ghilan’nain was an elven woman, not a god, chosen of Andruil –goddess of the hunt- who had the gift of creating creatures of great beauty and danger. Andruil used to hunt the creatures she created.” Revas says. Cassandras awe trumps Sera’s boredom and Solas’ disinterest.

“Legend says that she was blinded by a hunter for cursing him over killing a hawk beloved to Andruil. He had intended to kill her, but the curse on him meant he could never take another life again and so. He left her to die, weak, blind and alone in the forest.”

“What an arse.” Sera says around a spoonful of stew and Revas can’t stop herself from laughing.

“it seems that way, yes, “ she smirks, before carrying on.

“anyway, the legend goes that she prayed to the gods, to Andruil, to rescue her. The goddess of the hunt sent her hares to chew through the ropes that bound her and she was free.”

“However, she was still badly wounded and blind and couldn’t find her way by herself. So Andruil turned her into a pure white deer with horns like interwoven branches: the first halla.” Revas says, brushing her fingers over the tattoos on her chin.

 

 

Cassandra is silent after that, it was only many hours later, having been on the road for most of the day, that Cassandra breaches the subject again.

“I must say, Ghilan’nain’s story is quite similar to yours, lavellan.” She says. Revas stares at her, eyebrows almost high enough to touch her hairline.

“A mortal woman, helped in your hour of need by a god, who is then raised up to near godhood yourself.” She says “Sounds similar, no?”

Revas lets out a nervous little chuckle. “Flattering as that sounds, but I don’t think I have the attention of a god, nor one as a lover.”

Behind her, Solas stubs his toe and Sera laughs at him.

“Not to mention, I’m not a _goddess_ , Cassandra.”

“You do not believe your gods saved you?” She asks

"if we’re to go by story and legend, my ‘gods’ are sealed away in a place they wouldn’t even be able to hear me from.” Revas sighs “How could they save me if that were the case?”

“I…” Cassandra starts “I suppose you are right, forgive me.”

Revas shakes her head, smiling “It’s not the most farfetched idea as to what the anchor is… you should hear some of the stuff Commander Cullens recruits gossip about.”

Cassandra laughs quietly “I can only imagine.”

 

 

On their way back to skyhold, Solas falls into step with Revas. She smiles brightly up at him.

“Something on your mind, Solas?” she asks

“The way you spoke about your peoples gods with Cassandra.” He starts, he seems like he’s choosing his words carefully.

“You don’t sound like you truly believe in them.”

“well, that they existed? Yeah, probably… I mean, their legends had to come from somewhere right?” she looks away then.

“But whether they still exist? Whether they were actually gods? Who knows… but I doubt it.” Her voice lowers “It’s not an opinion that makes me being first to my keeper very popular, that’s for sure. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d’ve made a horrible keeper”

Solas is strangely quiet and when she looks back up at him the air leaves her lungs at how intensely he is staring at her.

“Quite the contrary, inquisitor.” He murmurs, voice a shade of reverent that makes her belly do giddy flip flops.

“You would have made a perfect keeper.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sort of fleshing out how Revas interacts with everyone. Sera and Vivienne present a huge challenge but i figure revas is a bit of a social chameleon, she is a natural at the game x^L.
> 
> but of course i have to add that little bit of solav because i am a weak, weak woman who can't resist... I'll try to post something more solav-y soon i promise myabe possibly


End file.
